HANABI #1 (Edt of 300)

Collective
HANABI #1 (Edt of 300)

Photographs: Ben Dorado, Pablo Jomaron

Text: Oko Ebombo

Publisher: Red Lebanese

256 pages

Year: 2024

Comments: Softcover enveloped in silkscreen printed paper. 32,3 x 24,5 cm. With folded poster (index) First issue. Limited edition of 300 copies.

The HANABI duo was formed during the Corona Virus pandemic. Pablo Jomaron and Ben Dorado are visual artists renowned for their work in the music industry.

But their skills extend beyond the musical realm. They have brought together their worlds and a wide variety of themes in their book “Hanabi Vol. 1”. This 1st volume presents their rich artistic expression through photographic archives on a wide range of themes, including their personal histories, French rap, graffiti and the writing of Jean Genet.

“Hanabi Vol. 1” is imbued with dynamism and melancholy. Ben Dorado explained in a recent interview for WIP magazine, Carhartt WIP's bi-annual publication: “What gives it that effect is its wide variety of images. We've selected images from our personal archives: family photos, mood shots and art photos, all of which have a different quality, grain, texture and processing. It's their juxtaposition that creates the narrative. Our lives coexist in a very intimate, dreamlike way.”

For Pablo Jomaron “Hanabi embodies our intention to present ourselves as artists rather than designers. Before I met Ben, I was fascinated by his technicality; I didn't understand how he conceived his visuals. Working with him, I noticed that he had a holistic approach to his practice. I realized that he was much more than a designer, he was a visual artist.”